This is indoor barbecue at its finest! The sauce is the star of the show. Seriously, this sauce is so good– the sweetness of the peach preserves, brown sugar, molasses and paprika, garlic, onion, bacon, thyme. Wow! A bowl of creamy garlic mashed potatoes are perfect with these.

NOTE: This post has been updated with new photographs from its original 2010 post date.

This recipe is perfect for a rainy day, because you don’t need an outdoor grill. The homemade barbecue sauce is truly the star of the show. It’s so flavorful– a little sweet, and little tart and packed with flavor.

To start the ribs, season them with salt and pepper and drizzled with a little olive oil Bake on a low heat of 250F for about 1 1/2 hours. In the meantime, make the “killer” sauce:

The sauce was simple to make. You start with a thick slice of bacon, wrapped around fresh thyme and tied with string.

With a little oil (I use avocado oil) the bacon is cooked just enough to render some fat and to produce a smoky flavor. Add some onion and garlic and cook until softened.

For the remainder of the sauce ingredients you’ll need brown sugar, peach preserves, molasses, and a few other pantry items I’m confident you would have on hand.

The sauce rocks! Seriously, this sauce is so good– the sweetness of the peach preserves, the brown sugar and the molasses and paprika, garlic, onion, bacon, thyme. Wow! I recommend making the sauce ahead of time– and if any is left over it would fantastic on chicken.

Remove the ribs and slather with the sauce. Place under a preheated broiler until crisped to your liking.

I decided to slather the ribs twice more, until I saw some bubbling and blackening.

Let the meat rest a few minutes, before slicing and plating them.

TASTING NOTES: The ribs were “good”. I mean, it’s hard to beat outdoor slow barbecued ribs, but we weren’t complaining– since it’s a bit too chilly to be grilling right now. Seriously, the sauce is the star of this show!

I can hardly wait for our California warmer weather to come, and longer daylight. I will be firing up the Weber and making this sauce for our ribs.

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The Ultimate Oven Ribs

This is indoor barbecue at its finest! The sauce is the star of the show. Seriously, this sauce is so good and not too complicated to make. The sweetness of the peach preserves, brown sugar, molasses is balanced with savory paprika, garlic, onion, bacon, and thyme. Wow! The sauce is also perfect on chicken as well.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 30

Course: main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Oven Ribs, Ultimate Ribs

Servings:

Author: Debby – www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Ingredients

For the ribs:

2 slabs baby back ribs about 3 pounds
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
2 bacon slices
4 sprigs fresh thyme

For the sauce:

1/2 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic smashed
2 cups ketchup
1 cup peach preserves
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250°F.
Place the ribs on baking sheet, season with salt, pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Stick them in the oven and let the ribs bake low and slow for 1 ½ hours.

Make the sauce:

Wrap the bacon around the middle of the thyme sprigs and tie with kitchen twine so you have a nice bundle.
Heat a 2 count of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add the thyme bundle and cook slowly for 3 to 4 minutes to render the bacon fat and give the sauce a smoky flavor.
Add the onion and garlic and cook slowly, without coloring, for 5 minutes.
Add all the rest of the sauce ingredients, give the sauce a stir, and turn the heat down to low.
Cook slowly for 20 minutes for the flavors to meld.
Put some sauce in a separate bowl for basting, reserving the remaining for serving.
Baste the ribs with the sauce and continue cooking, basting twice more for 30 minutes. When the ribs are cooked, take them out of the oven. You can let them hang out like this until you're ready to eat.
When you’re ready to eat, preheat the broiler for 5 minutes.
Broil the ribs, basting with the sauce, until they are crisp and browned somewhat, or to your liking.